Walter March

Walter and Werner March were brothers and the sons of Otto March, who built the German Stadium in Berlin of 1913, where the proposed 1916 Olympics were to have taken place. Walter stood in his brother’s during their lifetime.

Both brothers were architects and won the 1936 competition for the construction of the Berlin sports forum. Model, ground plan, and photos were his 1928 entry for the art competitions. Construction began after the Reichstag had paid a first installment of one million RMs. A part of the dormitory for female students and the connecting tunnel were completed. The second phase of construction fell victim to the government’s savings plans. After 1933 the construction of the forum was finalized, although the university was dissolved. In fall 1933, the brothers were awarded the contract to build the Reichssportfeld and the Olympic Stadium for 1936.

Walter March worked in the 1920s at times in the US with Frank Lloyd Wright and took US citizenship in 1931. There he worked on numerous buildings in Greater New York. He also designed ceramics, furniture and other wood and metal works. While Walter March went to the US, Werner collaborated with the Nazis and joined the party in 1933. Walter March later became a founding member of the Carl-Diem-Institute (1964).

Walter March is not mentioned in many contemporary German sources (for instance the 1936 art catalog). His participation is noted, however, in the Official Report and in the 1937 Revue Olympique. It can only be assumed that this was due to his emigration to the United States.